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There is clear indication that the top two issues for voters in the upcoming Presidential election are foreign-policy related: The Iraq War and Terrorism. Americans are very concerned about the foreign policy of the United States, but it does seem like there are two separate reasons why this is the case. Liberals and Democrats seem to be rather concerned with ending the fighting, the killing, and the war in-general. They are worried about our reputation around the world, civilian casualties, and the never-ending, sky-rocketing cost of supporting troops on the ground. Conservatives and Republicans seem to be more concerned with terrorism and the mounting threat of radical Islamic fundamentalism. They are concerned with maintaining America's position as THE world's economic and military Super-Power.

While the opposing sides of the spectrum are concerned with foreign affairs for separate reasons, this does show that American's, all Americans, are in-tune to the fact that the world is becoming a smaller and smaller place to live. We all realize that we do not exist in a vacuum and that America's actions often have global implications. The eras of protectionism, and isolationism are over and most of the general population understands this. We can no longer operate without figuring the rest of the world, and its stability, into the equation. This shows that even though, we may disagree on America's role in world affairs, we have moved beyond arguing about whether or not such participation is necessary.

The two opposing views, actually work very well together and we should celebrate the existence of both ideas. While liberals fight to preserve our reputation, conservatives fight to maintain our power. The result is that we maintain our power without looking like total dictators of the world or looking like we can easily be pushed around by aggressive nations.

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